US immigration allows Canadian snowbird to enter by air

Canadians in British Columbia and other provinces and territories have found a loophole that allows them to continue their familiar ways to swap the cold winters in Canada for warmer conditions in the United States. Both Canada and U.S. immigration laws prevent non-essential land border crossings in both directions. However, flying from Canada to destinations in the U.S. is allowed. This is not a reciprocal arrangement, and U.S. residents may not enter Canada by road or air.

Snowbirds who thought they would have to bear the brunt of this year’s winter learned that there is a way to escape it. A company that offers charter flights in small aircraft provides a service that gets Canadians to the U.S. sunbelt. They fly their clients to airports in the United States. However, that is not the limit of the service they offer. The company also transports their clients’ vehicles to meet them at the airports upon their arrival.

One couple explained that they took the trip in their RV each year and prepared to stay home this year. That was until they learned of the service that could get them and their accommodation across the border without breaking any laws. The couple landed at a U.S. airport and started their road trip to their destination in their RV that waited for them at the airport.

The charter company can take the vehicles through land border crossings because business transactions and importing vehicles are not prohibited. Other companies have started similar services. One of which uses a helicopter to take snowbirds to the U.S., transporting their vehicles on a flatbed truck from British Columbia to destinations south of the border. Although this might seem like the ideal solution for snowbirds to get to their destinations, it might be a good idea to ensure they comply with U.S. immigration laws to avoid unexpected legal consequences.